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048 - The End of Hostilities
🕑 Added 2024-07-29 13:22:25 +0000 UTCAll the world raised their gazes as the rain receded, yet they were blinded by this light hovering over them. While it might have seemed like a second sun, Qin Yun could discern that it resembled more of a halo surrounding a figure hidden within the light. Yet, the individual within seemed intangible, as if reality had been blurred, and no one could hope to gaze upon it.
While Qin Yun wasn't entirely sure of the individual's identity, he could infer some hints only by looking at the faces of corresponding individuals, namely Lian Qian and Sun Yu. While Lian Qian remained calm, Qin Yun could still see the surprise he barely tried to hide. As for Sun Yun, she seemed to be completely stunned, yet somehow slightly ashamed. She only briefly glanced at the figure before lowering her gaze.
All these clues pointed to only a single person. Besides, this halo of light and the fact that this person hovered midair were the most significant clues. After all, flight was only possible through a domain, and such a domain only came into existence once one stepped into the Soul Formation Realm.
Indeed, this was a Soul Formation realm cultivator and, most importantly, seemed to be Jin City's City Lord, Sun Yu's father. As for why he chose this exact moment to appear, Qin Yun had no idea. He could only wait and see. He only hoped that things would finally end and he could return to doing his own things.
“This conflict ends here!" the figure said, his deep voice shaking the sky and pressing all creatures towards the earth from its overpowering presence.
Qin Yun could feel his body involuntarily wishing to lower itself in reverence. This was unlike the usual pressure he felt from cultivators like Lian Qian, but something more visceral, something deeply ingrained into his being, as if he had no choice but to revere this existence.
Of course, Qin Yun wouldn't prostrate himself just because his body told him to. Yet, all around him, people fell to their knees, unable to raise their gazes. This was the gap between a Nascent Soul cultivator and the step beyond.
The insights one needed to reach to create a domain were so much more impactful than a simple amalgamation of power the previous realms were comprised of. In fact, while there was only a single realm between the Nascent Soul and the Soul Formation, they were nothing more than ants before the latter. Even Lian Qian, with all his treasures, had no hopes of contending against the figure in the sky. It was as if trying to fight a god.
Fortunately, the second sun had no intentions of causing destruction. In fact, it seemed his goal was for peace to return.
“The Sun Clan will make sure the Lian Clan is properly compensated for this incident,” the figure said shortly before vanishing, yet Qin Yun could feel a residual presence linger overhead.
Surprisingly, Qin Yun felt sweat pool on his forehead despite the figure only saying a few words. It wasn't that he thought he might have been in danger but that its existence alone brought forth a primal sense of dread. Besides, if that being wished for his demise, Qin Yun would have no way of resisting, such was the giant gulf between the two.
Despite the figure seemingly having already left, the scene remained silent as no one dared to utter a single word. All remained on their knees, basking in the majesty of that figure. Only four were brave enough to remain upright in his presence.
Lian Qian went without saying as bowing to another clan leader would have been seen as subservience. Yet, this was all he could do at that moment. The thought of going against this figure's wishes was the furthest thing from his mind. Fortunately, his clan also possessed existences of that level, yet they were all in secluded cultivation, trying to reach an even higher level. Seldom would they be seen outside the clan, interfering in mundane matters.
After all, they had been alive so long that such matters couldn't hold their interest. Only furthering their own powers and longevity mattered to them. In fact, the longer-lived one usually was, the more one feared death. As such, conflicts between Soul Formation cultivators were rarely seen. If what Qin Yun remembered was accurate, the last sighting of a battle between Soul Formation cultivators in Jin City dated back to two hundred years ago. As for the reason for the conflict, the books didn't mention it.
Aside from Qin Yun, the remaining two to remain upright were Sun Yu and her companion. This wasn't surprising to him. What kind of father would expect his only daughter to bow to him before all these witnesses?
Yet, as the figure appeared, the man's expression remained burned into Qin Yun's mind. He seemed to have seen a hint of greed for a split second before swiftly returning to indifference. While Qin Yun could understand feeling envy for that display of power, this expression seemed much too eerie to be read as simple yearning. It felt more like a man seeking another man's wife. Some kind of visceral desire for what others possessed.
While perplexing, Qin Yun didn't put much thought into it. After all, seeking what others have is human. Qin Yun, too, was envious of what others possessed, mostly their humanities and desires.
With this farce coming to an end, Qin Yun sought to return home. Yet, as he turned, he noticed Yun Jingfei rushing down the hill toward him. Despite her obviously flustered expression hidden beneath her mask, she tried to look as nonchalant as she could, as if his safety didn't matter to her one bit.
Qin Yun couldn't help but chuckle slightly under his breath. Yet, he couldn't help but find this dissonance between her thoughts and her actions endearing. While she disobeyed his request to hide in the secret chamber, Qin Yun couldn't fault her. If their roles were reversed, he, too, would have rushed to her side. At the very least, she ensured Feng Xia would stay quietly within their residence. To have her seen would only engineer another drama to unfold.
“Lord Lian, now that my father has expressed his stance, are you still unwilling to compromise?” Sun Yu said, yet her usual spirit seemed to fall flat as if it had been deflated by her father’s intervention.
Still, Lian Qian did notice the change in how she addressed him, yet no sense of victory arose in his heart. While he wasn't the loser in this ordeal, his victory felt shallow. He had hoped to grow his clan's prestige by showing his strength, yet he had so easily been overshadowed by the advent of that second sun. Now, all the audience would talk about was the radiance of Sun Yu's father.
Lian Qian couldn't help but admire the timing of his arrival. Only by showing himself did he turn the tide in his favour. Lian Qian couldn't help but lament that strength was the only thing that mattered in this world and that he was still lacking.
“The City Lord has spoken; I would be a fool to ignore his good intentions," Lian Qian finally said, trying his best not to show his reluctance.
Still, he could comfort himself in the fact that the Ma Clan suffered the largest loss of face. Not only did Ma Yongzheng lose, proving he was inferior to Lian Qian, but he even had to be saved by the City Lord, thus owing him a favour. Furthermore, the Ma clan's casualties in the aftermath of their battle were substantial.
Replacing the troops they lost would be time-consuming and resource-intensive. If they were to go to war in the near future, this discrepancy in manpower might give the Lian clan an edge. After all, while the stronger cultivators were pivotal in such conflict, they served more of a deterrent role. Most conflicts were waged only by the younger generation, seeking prestige for their respective clans. Even fights between Nascent Soul cultivators were rare indeed.
Lian Qian looked toward Ma Yongzheng, locked away within the water prison, and dismissed it with a wave of his hand. Even the ethereal bell that held him in place vanished, only to return to Lian Qian's hand.
Seeing the situation come to a close, most of the audience could finally breathe again. The heightened tension finally dissipated as most opted to return to their own dwelling as the show was over. Even Qin Yun was done here and sought to return to his residence. He had much to do following the descent of heavenly lightning.
Some of his precious spiritual plants had been hard impacted by its might, and most formations had crumbled. Returning everything to its former state would take him weeks. Yet, he also had other problems to address. Someone was obviously after him or someone close to him. While Qin Yun thought of someone obvious, he shouldn't make assumptions, as there may be more than one. Still, he couldn't help but think that the insect he retrieved was instrumental in all this.
While everyone thought the situation was over, only one person still had a grudge to settle. He couldn't care less whether the City Lord wanted this to end. As Ma Yongzheng emerged from the water vortex, his expression was grim, showing obvious signs of anger and madness. Yet, it soon dissipated, returning to indifference.
“Let this be the end of this,” Lian Qian said to him, yet his words fell on deaf ears. The man only walked away, ignoring him completely.
While Lian Qian was slightly infuriated by his attitude, it wasn't wholly unexpected as no one liked to be on the losing side, much less someone like Ma Yongzheng. Still, his subsequent actions left him completely stunned.
Ma Yongzheng pushed against the ground, propelling himself forward with extreme force. He even broke the ground below, and water and mud flew in the air as he took each step. Unprepared for his actions, Lian Qian was slow to react and even slower to realize his intentions.
Lian Qian prompted his remaining Qi to revolve once again, yet his reserves were too pitiful to even be mentioned. In fact, he had exhausted most of it in his battle against Ma Yongzheng. He went all out as he knew Ma Yongzheng wasn't someone to be taken lightly. As such, he couldn't stop what happened next.
Qin Yun stood in Ma Yongzheng's path, his back turned to him. As Ma Yongzheng's Qi reserves were also near rock bottom, his charge was considerably slower than usual, and Qin Yun could sense it coming. He turned and faced the beast charging at him, yet despite his extraordinary reaction time, he only had an instant to decide his best course of action.
If alone, Qin Yun could have chosen to strike back, even knowing there wasn't much he could do. Yet Yun Jingfei was by his side, and he couldn't let her be involved in this vendetta. He only had enough time to push her out of the way using his left hand, and an instant later, Ma Yongzheng's fist collided with his right shoulder.
Qin Yun had expected that Ma Yongzheng was out of Qi, yet that beast had hidden his cards well. From the moment he knew there was no way out of his prison, he seated himself in a lotus position before meditating to recover his Qi as fast as possible, seeking a single chance to change his fate.
While the amount he managed to recover was pitiful, it was enough to threaten Qin Yun. Blades of wind twirled around Ma Yongzheng's fist, cutting into Qin Yun at the point of impact. They dug into his skin, ripping his flesh, but fortunately, his bones were strong enough to stop their advances.
Qin Yun's blood flew from the wounds, adding to this tempest, tinting it a shade of red while a strong scent of iron assaulted all those who remained on this battleground. The fist's impact resonated into Qin Yun's bones, breaking those closest to the epicentre before he was propelled in the air from the rebound.
Qin Yun flew backwards. His right arm, having taken the brunt of the impact, flapped like a wet noodle in the wind as all the bones were broken. He ended his journey on the side of his hill, within a mound of rocks. An explosion occurred as his back crashed into them, sending those rocks flying upwards before they crashed back down onto him, burying him beneath.
All the audience stood back, mouths agape, unable to process what had happened. Even Sun Yu and Lian Qian could not react in time. Silence hung over the scene, and all that could be heard was the sound of rocks falling, Ma Yongzheng gloating, and Qin Yun's wife shouting his name.
Comments
lenkite
Well, that's what happens when you turn your back on an obvious berserker enemy. MC sadly lacking in [Basic Common Sense]. Now, best of luck healing that with his Innate Qi gone. Hopefully he will experience the human feeling of [Extreme Pain] to wake him up from slumber.
